


Wait For It

by Lil_Miss_Nugget



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic), Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Angst, Baking, F/F, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Musical theater AU, Pie, Slow Burn, cross dressing, eventual smut(?), good shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2016-10-01
Packaged: 2018-08-18 20:27:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8174936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lil_Miss_Nugget/pseuds/Lil_Miss_Nugget
Summary: The Samwell Musical Theater Troupe prides itself in it's mission to cast people in a role that fits them regardless of their ethnicity, sexuality or gender identity, allowing the Theater to bring new, holistic adaptations of well-known plays to audiences that can identify with the characters openly.That's what the pamphlet had said, but even then, when Eric Bittle first walked into his audition, he never expected it to go quite like this.A story about baking, acting prodigies, and some damn good signing (aka one man's love for Josh Groban). Enjoy!





	

**Author's Note:**

> ...but just you wait

Bitty should be focusing on the biscuits in the oven, he really should. He feels awful for burning the last batch, but his mind is running a mile a minute and all he can focus on is the scribbled over sheet music in his hands. He’s long since changed into his audition clothes, keeping his apron loosely tied only to keep the flour from getting on his black slacks. He runs through his dance in his head and hums the notes under his breath. He shouldn’t be as nervous as he is. He’s more than ready, Katya has assured him time and time again. But… But good lord this is the most terrifying moment of his life!

 

A knock in the kitchen doorway draws his attention up to the bakery owner, a stocky woman with thick arms and a broad breast, wearing an apron of her own. “Bitty, honey, those biscuits done yet?” Eric doesn’t even know. Did he even set a timer? Oh good land, he’s going to get fired.

 

“Oh, u-um, n-not yet!” His papers almost fly off the counter as he scrambles to open the oven. The biscuits are golden-brown, but it’s just the egg wash that’s giving them that effect. He can’t tell if it’s the heat of the oven or his anxiety that’s making him sweat. “I don’t know exactly, but I’d say give ‘em ten more minutes? Gosh I’m so sorry Loula I am just all nerves right now.”

 

Loula smiles at the panicking blonde fondly, her crows feet crinkling at the corners of her youthful green eyes. “Oh agapi mou, don’t you worry. Jasper just clocked in so you can get out of here now if you’d like. Finally put those hours of practice to the test.” Loula winks at him and Bitty blushes deeply. Lord knows how many times he’d been caught belting Annie at the top of his lungs in the break room. Bitty thanks her and carefully slips his music back into its folder before hanging up his apron in his cubby. He shoulders his lightly packed bag and fidgets in place, washing his hands and doing pretty much anything except leaving for the audition (as he should! His call time is just an hour and a half from now!

 

Finally, the baker takes a deep breath and steels himself. “Now you go on and get that lead!” Bitty can’t help but smile, shaking his head bashfully.

 

“I’ll be lucky if I get to be British Soldier Number Two,” he mumbles, headed for the door, when Loula grabs his ear with thick fingers, earning a distraught shriek from the much smaller baker.

 

“Atte re, I won’t have any of that stinkin’ thinkin’, young man!” she chides, wagging a finger and tutting disapprovingly.

 

“Owowowow okay, okay! Loula, please! I’m gonna - ow! - I’m gonna need my ears to hear the pianist!” He wriggles out of her grasp with a shriek, smoothing his hair and grinning excitedly as Loula laughs, throwing her whole body into it. When their laughter dies down, Bitty smiles softly. They’re in the front entrance now, only the glass door separating the boy from his dream. He’s not leaving the bakery for good - he’s hoping he can still work a few morning shifts during rehearsals if he makes the show - but both bakers know what this audition means to little Bittle.

 

“Loula?” he begins nervously, “I know I’ve been a handful these last few months, what with all the rehearsing and singing and, and um, I wanted you to know that, I mean, I… thank you.” He looks up at the curly-haired woman with an expression full of shy gratitude. There isn’t much else he can say. The doorbell chimes as he steps out onto the streets of downtown Providence, humming his lines with a skip in his step as he goes to catch his bus.

 

A proud smile spreads across the older baker’s face, her young eyes twinkling with mirth as she crosses her strong arms and leans against the doorframe to watch her tiny baker go. If anyone deserves a role, it’s the gangly kid she’s watching stumble down the street right now.

 

Loula loses sight of him when Bitty turns the corner, and she vaguely remembers needing to check on the biscuits when she smells burning butter. She hurries back to the kitchen, barking a quick order at Jasper as she removes them from the oven just in time. As she moves them to the cooling rack, Loula catches herself humming one of the tunes from the show Eric is auditioning for. What were those words again? Loula smiles to herself softly. They summed up Bitty pretty well. ‘There’s a million things I haven’t done… but just you wait, just you wait…’

 

-

 

Bitty has visited the Samwell Community Theater on several occasions, but it’s never looked so intimidating before. The theater is a massive building of red brick and white columns, a regal blend of rustic American and Roman architecture. The sun lights the theater from behind, swallowing Bitty in its massive shadow. Itty Bitty really is a fitting nickname.

 

Bitty tries to still his noticeably shaking hands, takes in a deep breath, nods once and pushes open the door, and oh god. Oh god oh god there are just- so many people. 

 

Biting his lip he moves to check in, stumbling through his words before he settles down into an open seat and nervously goes over his audition piece under his breath. ‘Remember your breathing. One-two-three-in, three-two-one-out.’

 

“Hi!” He jumps slightly as the chair next to him is suddenly very full of a very excited looking college kid. “First audition? Mine too! God I’m so nervous. I’m sure you’ll do great though! Oh! I’m um- I’m Chris by the way, Chris Chow. But you can call me Chowder if you want! Or Chris is fine, whatever really!” 

 

Bitty looks down at the hand that’s been thrust out to him then back to the wide, onyx eyes so full of hope and excitement. A smile breaks through his nervous frown and his once twitchy hands hold steady as he takes Chowder’s hand and gently shakes. “Hi there.”

 

Chowder’s face immediately lights up and his braces-filled grin is absolutely infectious. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t ask your name!”

 

“Oh, don’t worry honey!” Bitty reassures him. “I’m Eric Bittle. I go by Bitty.”

 

“Bitty? That’s so cute!” Chowder launches into an animated speech about his nerves and excitement, and soon enough it becomes a conversation between the two. Hearing Chowder being so vocal about his emotions helps Bitty calm down loads. That is, until a man picks up the call sheet.

 

“Next up, Eric Bittle.” And the wave of anxiety crashes over him again full force.

 

“Oh my-, I have to-, Okay everything's gonna be okay, alright.” He jumps up from his chair and starts forward, turning to wave at Chowder and give him a nervous smile before following the individual on stage.

 

“You got this!!” He hears behind him, making him huff a little laugh as he steps in and makes his way to the stage.

 

Bitty hands his resume to the man that called him in and tip toes across the stage to hands his sheet music to the pianist, a kind looking young woman with tanned skin and bright blue eyes. She smiles at him reassuringly when she sees his shaking fingers. He forces a tense smile, but doesn’t feel any better. Joining the drama club in high school was one thing, but being on a professional stage made Bitty feel a whole new level of small.

 

His eyes fall upon the panel of judges sitting a few rows from the front. The man that called him takes his seat next to a small vietnamese girl with a pixie cut, whom Bitty instantly recognizes as Larissa Duan, a long-time member of the Samwell Theater. He’s seen her performances as Glinda on Youtube. She may be tiny, but good land does she have a voice.

 

“Welcome in, Eric!” she says to Bitty. Her voice carries through the whole theater easily. Good lord he’s so starstruck.

 

“H-Hi! Um, how’re you?” Bitty’s positively shaking in his boots, but he offers a sweet smile and hopes he won’t be judged on his terrible attempt at small talk.

 

“I’m doing well, thank you,” Larissa responds as her eyes scan his pathetically lackluster resume. “So, what have you prepared for us today?”

 

Right to it, then. Oh lord. “I-I’ll be singing “One Jump” from Aladdin,” he manages to finish his sentence without wavering. Larissa nods slightly, still running her gaze over the resume. The other young man seated beside her, dark-skinned, curly hair and a meticulously put-together wild look, reads through it once over her shoulder before settling back into his seat. He looks bored. Well, this is off to a fantastic start.

 

“Alright then, we’re ready when you are,”

 

Bitty about has a heart attack. He gives a little bow to his small audience then nods to the pianist. She starts right in, and Bitty quickly puts on a happy face as he leaps into action. As he sings, he dances along, copying the choreography of the performance he saw live down to the letter. But it feels wrong, so wrong. His heart isn’t in the song. He’d selected it to show off his dance skills, and realizes he completely neglected to highlight his voice. Sure, he shifted the key up a bit to show his unique range, but it’s still so wrong.

 

At the conclusion of his piece, Bitty feels worse than he ever had before. The director and Larissa exchange one look, and Bitty tries to keep his expression from crumbling as she says the words any hopeful auditioner dreads, “We’ll get back to you about our decision soon.” universal code for ‘You’re not what we’re looking for.’

 

“‘Course… Thank y’all for your time.” As he turns towards the stage exit he lets his face fall and what just happened sink in, he hears another one of the judges call out to him.

 

“Wait, wait, hold on, the narrative can’t end here. You’re classically trained, right?” Bitty looks back, too surprised by the question's phrasing to respond in time. The man who spoke is wearing a red baseball cap, so Bitty can’t make out his face, but he can hear the desperation in his voice. “You’re already high for a tenor, think you could go alto or soprano?” The vietnamese woman that introduced herself as the casting director about snapped her neck looking up at the man.

 

“Johnson, what the hell?”

 

“Trust me, Lardo, he can do it. And it’ll make for a great story.”

 

The director seems to also be showing some interest in the idea and cuts Lardo off before she can go off on Johnson. “Wait, Lardo, chill, this may be a really great idea.” The woman is incredulous, but he looks at Bitty, examining him leisurely with half-lidded hazel eyes. All Bitty can do is stand, still frozen in place half-facing the exit of the stage.

 

Johnson speaks up again; “‘The Samwell Musical Theater Troupe prides itself in it's mission to cast people in a role that fits them regardless of their ethnicity, sexuality or gender identity. It’s what allows us to bring new, holistic adaptations of well-known plays to audiences that can identify with the characters openly. That is literally a quote from the description.” Johnson now has the attention of all the tech members. Whoever this man is, he seems to command some odd form of respect. “What better way to showcase that than break every gender norm our society forces on us and cast a man in a female role? In a way that isn’t something out of Kinky Boots? In a way that fits him?”

 

Bitty’s heart is pounding in his ears. He’d never even considered this. Not only could he get a part in the play, but he could be a part of something so much greater. The whole prospect of it is almost overwhelming. It feels like his lungs are too big for his chest. Has he been holding his breath this whole time?! Oh lord, oh lord…

 

Lardo looks convinced, now looking at Bitty in a new light.

 

All that’s left is to see if Bitty can actually play the part.

 

Lardo leans forward in her seat, leaning on her clipboard. “What do you think? Think you can do it, Bittle?”

 

Bitty’s eyes widen and seeing a chance, this time he rushes to answer. “Wha- Yeah! Yes I mean um- Yes I can- I can do that, yeah ah-” he draws in a deep breath and tries to stop the butterflies in his stomach. “S-Sorry, getting a little excited, is all, um…” Bitty nervously glances at the pianist. She’s smiling brightly back, ready to comply. “I, um… I don’t have any sheet music… n-no alternate songs…”

 

“Oh, that’s okay!” the pianist pipes up. “Just name a song, I can play the chords. Probably. Most likely.” Bitty’s definitely going to burst. This is really happening. “What’re you thinking?” Bitty blanks. Thinking, thinking, think… oh.

 

“Um… ‘Think of Me?’ from Phantom of the Opera?” Bitty asks meekly. The director whistles.

 

“Ambitious. I like it.” He leans back in his seat, kicking his feet up on the seat in front of him. Every head in the audience is turned toward Bitty, ready for a show. As the pianist plucks out notes to feel out the key for Bitty, Eric feels his confidence growing. He auditioned for Katya’s teaching with this song years ago, and if she accepted him after hearing this, surely he’d be able to get a role here and now.

 

The pianist and Bitty finally settle on a key, and there’s a moment of silence before she begins to play. Bitty’s stance is different. His chin is tilted up, his hands are folded in front of his chest, everything is soft and relaxed, natural. Katya had commented during his audition that he was ‘quite feminine,’ and he’s using every part of that to his advantage.

 

“Think of me, think of me fondly when we’ve said goodbye,  
Remember me, once in awhile please promise me you’ll try  
When you find that, once again, you long to take your heart back and be free  
if you ever find a moment, spare a thought for me …”

 

Bitty has the voice of a siren, and it’s drawing in his audience wonderfully. He sings with all the withdrawn poise of a professional; no glitz, no glam, just one individual with a stunning voice.

 

“We never said our love was evergreen, or as unchanging as the sea  
But if you can still remember, stop and think of me ...  
Think of all the things we've shared and seen -  
don't think about the things which might have been …  
Think of me, think of me waking, silent and resigned.  
Imagine me, trying too hard to put you from my mind.  
Recall those days, look back on all those times,  
think of the things we'll never do  
there will never be a day, when I won't think of you …”

 

Auditions typically last only sixteen bars, thirty seconds at the most, but Bitty glances over at the pianist and she’s still going. Without allowing his expression to falter he examines the audience and realizes that all of them are waiting to see if he can hit that note. He can’t stop himself from smiling. Won’t they be surprised.

 

“We never said our love was evergreen, or as unchanging as the sea  
but please promise me that sometimes you will think…”

 

Here it comes… 

 

Bitty’s run (or in Katya’s terms, a warm-up) is flawless. The audience is tense with anticipation, and Bitty draws in one last breath and nails the final note.

 

Then, nothing. The room is stunned into silence. Nervous, Bitty sneaks a look at the panel and they look… shocked, confused, but most of all, impressed. The tech team seems to be attempting to shake off their goosebumps. The casting director with the pixie cut shares a look with the man that’d stopped him, and to their side the director breaks out into a lazy, pleased grin.

 

“Elizabeth Schuyler - It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

 

Bitty’s eyes grow into saucers and his mouth drops open, “NO. Wait! I mean yes, yes! I just- really? Oh my- Thank you.” 

 

Bitty exits the stage blushing furiously and uttering a million ‘Thank-you’s and ‘Oh lord’s. They casted him on sight. He can’t wait to tell Mama! Oh, she’ll be so proud! But oh God what is Coach gonna say...?

 

Bitty shakes off his anxiety as he re-enters the waiting room. Chowder jumps up, “Well?! How was it?!”

 

“Amazing Chowder- It was, they were sending me out and then this man, god I can’t for the life of me remember what he looked like, but lord was he gorgeous, he called me back and- And I got it. I actually got a part I-.” 

 

“Bitty, that’s amazing!” Chowder is jittering, looking like he so desperately wants to hug this little guy he just met… And what the hell, Bitty’s in a hugging mood too! He throws his arms around Chowder and laughs as he’s lifted off his feet.

 

Collecting himself he pulls back, “Wai- what about you, when are you up? I can wait here for you-”

 

“No that’s-”

 

“Chris Chow.”

 

“Oh! That’s me!! Um,” He stumbles a bit, as if nervous to ask, “I’ll . . . see you when I get out?”

 

“Of course, of course! I’ll be right here when you get the part.”

 

Chowder looks like he wants to respond but Bitty shoos him forward, only sitting down once Chowder’s adorable grin is out of sight.

 

Settling down he looks around at the room he didn’t have the nerve to explore beforehand. People from all different backgrounds dotted the room, waiting for their chance at joining Samwell’s cast.

 

As he observes, his ear catches a voice thick with a Russian accent nearby and subtly, he turns his head to the sound.

 

“Audition will go fine, Zimmboni. Little songbird practice hard every day. No problem.” The voice belongs to a bear of a man with thick sweeps of wavy brown hair and kind, chocolate eyes, who had spoken to the man in the chair next to him.

 

“I know Tater I just can’t-,” Turning his attention to this new voice, a blush slowly blooms on Bitty’s cheeks. Even fraught with worry the man is a sight to be seen. His sharp features and piercing blue eyes demanded attention, and seemed to keep it once it was received. 

 

“Oy. Now you listen here you absolute Adonis you.” Another man in a business suit and aviators, with flowing shoulder length brown hair addresses him. “You’re gonna go out there and-

 

“Bitty!” Eric jumps with a start as his attention is ripped away from the three men and a buzzing Chowder bounds over to him. “I’m on tech!!! The stage manager was super nice, him and the director didn’t seem too friendly though, but they said they’d love to have me!!!! I sang a bit too and they said-”

 

“Jack Zimmermann.”

 

All sound in the room seems to get sucked into a vacuum as almost everyone waiting turns to stare wide eyed at the ‘Adonis’ from before. Bitty thinks he sees a moment of hesitation in the man’s eyes but then he looks back to his friends, a shy smile letting them know he’s grateful for their presence; and if his face etched with worry was a marvel, his smile was a world wonder, so blinding in its genuine nature. Yet as soon as it comes, it’s gone and the man is heading into the audition room.

 

The waiting room erupts into whispers immediately after the door closes behind him. Chowder leans into Bitty wide-eyed. “Oh my gosh! Jack Zimmermann, Bitty, he was here! I breathed the same air as Jack Zimmermann! He must only be here for a courtesy audition. Didn’t you hear? All the rumors say he’s playing Hamilton!”

**Author's Note:**

> Bitty's thoughts on this recent development: Well, fuck.
> 
> If you were wondering of how this idea came to be, well...
> 
> One day, while at an Angel's Baseball game;  
> Kate: Hey Chris  
> Chris: Hey wut  
> Kate: What if the Check Please chracters were actors in Hamilton?  
> Chris: Dude that'd be so sick  
> Kate: Right?!  
> *thirty minute conversation of casting ideas ensues*  
> Chris:...  
> Kate:... We should make a fic of this  
> Chris: Yee buddy
> 
> And now we're here! Hope y'all enjoy!
> 
> Also, notes about Loula!  
> Loula’s family moved to America when she was a wee little babe, and of all places landed in Georgia *what a coincidence c;*. When Bitty found out it made him feel a bit closer to home c:
> 
> Atte re - ‘C’mon now’  
> Agapi mou - my love


End file.
